TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 2 (PlayStation 4) Review

For a bit of background, the Tourist Trophy is an annual event that centers around a famous but otherwise niche race that takes place on a tiny island between Ireland and England: the Isle of Man. However, the biggest claim around this race is that it's considered one of the most dangerous races in the world, which has tragically claimed the lives of many racers across the years. It is this race that Kylotonn has decided to bring to the digital age, with the original title that came out in 2018. Now, a couple of years later - TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 2 is an improved version over its predecessor, with some much-needed advancements made in the career mode to make the experience a more immersive and hard-fought journey.

The opening tutorial is a great and quick way to jump in and learn the basics that are necessary to begin racing and competing in the events. Unlike most of the other bike-racing titles on the market, TT2 continues down the path of being an arcade-racer, with the quick and whippy bike turns, which is a far cry from titles like Ride 4, which focuses on being a highly-realistic bike simulator. Not that there is an issue with TT2 being more like an arcader. With the third-person camera, the bikes feel a bit loose in relation to the camera perspective. Generally, the camera tends to be 'anchored' to the vehicle in most racing titles, but here it just hovers behind the bike without feeling connected to it - this is noticeable with the sharp turns, or taking corners at high speeds.

The arcade mechanics lend itself nicely to TT2 - the bikes here are fast, and the speeds they can reach on the long and winding roads are quite scary. The Snaefell Mountain Course is the annual event that all the other events in this title lead up to: the big and dangerous race where legends are made. Mastering this track requires all the patience and concentration of a racing pro, and even that may not be enough. One mistake, one ill-timed decision can dash any hopes of taking out the big trophy and send many riders back to the restart line. Learning how to maneuver the bike across the track is helped by the useful on-road guide that is colour-coordinated to signify when to begin slowing down before a turn, and when to start accelerating when coming out of a corner. Of course, these are only guides and shouldn't be taken as gospel, as following these cues can still result in some troublesome, tricky or otherwise hairy moments that can lead to the rider getting ragdolled off the track in a horrific way.

Prior to jumping into the big race, Career mode is a much more immersive experience this time around. In the first TT title, the only form of progression was by purchasing better bikes. This time around, bikes can be upgraded by replacing parts that are unlocked by completing certain tasks. Career mode begins by joining the Junior TT and spending 12 months winning various races or by collecting six Irish Championship signatures to receive an invite to the major league for the second year. Choose between racing in the 'easy' races for an easier time at learning the ropes and gaining some early success, and work up towards the 'hard' races for better rewards and events featuring standard races against AI or time attacks.

Along the way, there will be perks that are unlocked - these are one-use powers that affect the performance of the bike in various ways for the chosen race, and these just add to the whole arcade feeling of TT2. Perks don't carry over to the next season, so they're designed to be used as much as possible for the current season to get the most out of these temporary buffs. There are also seasonal objectives which can earn big rewards if these are met, while signing a contract with a manufacturer opens up access to their liveries. For the most part, some of the perks that are unlocked are

In addition to the event-based races, Career mode also has an optional playground area that acts as a miniature open-world arena akin to the bigger maps of the Forza Horizon series. Don't get too excited however, as this open-world map isn't quite that large. Still, it features a bunch of different activities to partake in, and completing each one unlocks new parts that can be used to equip onto the bike to make it more powerful for the next race. As the rider progresses through career and completes objectives, more missions become available in this open-world which in turn, opens up more avenues for unlocking new parts for further bike upgrades.

The idea here is to keep alternating between advancing through the season, while also completing these personal missions to continue advancing the bike technology in order to better compete in the higher difficulty races. There is an addicting quality to switching between the two different modes, mixing it up between events and challenges, to earn upgrades which feed into the career advancements. Especially when there is a noticeable difference when that upgraded bike gets raced for the first time, and the tricky AI then gets left in their tracks. There is a certain satisfaction to seeing better results in events thanks to the natural progression of the bike upgrades.

Basically, Kylotonn have taken the next step to making Career mode a bigger deal than it was in the previous title, and these added new features makes this year's title a much more immersive experience. While it's not quite on par with Kylotonn's other Career racer, WRC 9, TT2 feels like the start of the building blocks towards an even better and hopefully a more fully-realised career mode in future sequels of this two-wheeled racing franchise. Especially if their dirt-rally titles are anything to go by, then the future of TT is in good hands.